During the fall semester, in Foundations of College Writing, I have accomplished several assignments. These assignments have dealt with gathering research from outside sources and from personal experiences. In the first project, I found research online and I conducted interviews to get personal answers on a real life problem, food allergies in the classroom among young children. In the second, project I took information from the first project and altered it into three different genres intended for three different audiences. In the last project, I wrote a personal narrative by drawing back on information to determine what has impacted my past, present, and future on what it means to be educated. Goal A. Students will be able to compose for particular audiences and purposes.
This first goal means that students will approach specific audiences and purposes. For this goal, I collected information from my first project but my examples that I will use here are from my second project. In the second project I took the information and turned it into a brochure and into a letter from a parent to the teacher. In my brochure and in my letter I included information that would benefit to parents and to the teacher. For these projects, I said why it is important to keep children with food allergies safe, how parents can help the teacher, and ways to keep the classroom clean from germs.
I used this approach because it shows the audience that there is a lot of information that people should be informed about in order to keep a child safe. Many people know about food allergies but they do not know how to protect someone who has them. My brochure shows what someone can do if a student were to react to a food allergy in the classroom.
I used this approach because it is a formal way a parent can deliver information to their child’s teacher. This letter states the parent's concern for their child and how important the situation is. Throughout this letter, the parent includes the things that affect the child; the parent gives ideas to the teacher and offers ideas for the teacher in order to keep the parent’s child safe.
I transformed these two projects into information for an audience to be well educated on an important topic that can occur in any classroom. Goal B. Students will be able to compose using language and conventions appropriate to genre.
This second goal means that students will write and create a form of writing by knowing what is appropriate to genre. For this goal, I am going to use information from my first project. During this project I researched information on the concerns of food allergies and how to deal with them in the classroom. I conducted interviews from Bloomsburg University students majoring in early childhood education. For example, I asked two questions and they answered my questions.
How will you make your classroom in the future safe?
Person number one said, “By establishing rules and implementing my classroom management strategies from the first day of school.”
Person number two said, “I will make sure everything that is dangerous in my classroom is out of reach and, that it is child proof depending on what grade level I will teach.”
If a child has a food allergy in your classroom how would you keep them safe?
Person number one said, “I would send a note home to all parents stating that there is a child with an allergy in the classroom, and to please not send snacks into the room unless it is safe for everyone. I would list safe foods that they can be sent in with their child.”
Person number two said, “If a child has a food allergy I would find out how severe it is and if it is severe I’d ask the children in the class not to bring in certain food.
The interviews that I conducted were appropriate for this genre because they help the reader connect to the questions and they specify what future teachers can do if they encounter a child with food allergies in their classroom and how they can keep their classroom safe. Also these interviews show that other people are thinking about food allergy concerns. I really liked conducting the interviews because it taught me that Bloomsburg University students are well prepared and educated on this topic. In there futures they are ready to face this concern and keep the children safe if it happens in their classroom. Goal C. Students will be able to read, select, and use evidence critically to formulate and support arguments.
This third goal means that students will be able to use other work to support and impact their work. For this goal I am going to use information from my first project like I did above in goal B. From my first project I used the three INs, introduce, insert, and interpret. Also I had to find outside research to support my concern on food allergies. I used website research from what other people said. For example, I found:
When children share things it is thoughtful but sometimes can affect a student if they have a food allergy. For this reason policies focus on preventing children from consuming or being exposed to food that may trigger allergic reactions often include banning certain foods from the school, a “no sharing” component, or an “exclusion” component (Behrmann, 2010).
Cross-contamination occurs when food that does not contain any allergens is exposed to an allergen during food preparation, such as through unwashed cutting boards or knives (Thelen, Cameron, 2012)
I used this research in my first project to back up my concerns. The research showed that food allergies are a concern and there are ways to help protect the students who are affected.
Also, like I said above I used the three INs, introduce, insert, and interpret in my first project. I used them because they show how yo get your information across to the reader by introducing an idea, then inserting that idea, and lastly interpreting that idea. I used the three Ins when I conducted my interviews. For example:
I interviewed two people that are attending Bloomsburg University with a future degree in early childhood education. (1) These interviews are focused on future classrooms and how they would go about the problem. The first question I asked them was: How will you make your classroom in the future safe? Person number one said, “By establishing rules and implementing my classroom management strategies from the first day of school.”(2) Person number two said, “I will make sure everything that is dangerous in my classroom is out of reach and, that it is child proof depending on what grade level I will teach.” The second question I asked them was: If a child has a food allergy in your classroom how would you keep them safe? Person number one said, “I would send a note home to all parents stating that there is a child with an allergy in the classroom, and to please not send snacks into the room unless it is safe for everyone. I would list safe foods that they can be sent in with their child.” (2 )Person number two said, “If a child has a food allergy I would find out how severe it is and if it is severe I’d ask the children in the class not to bring in certain food. These interviews specify what future teachers plan to do if they encounter a child with food allergies in their classroom and how they will keep their classroom safe. Their responses suggest that they are prepared and know what to do if they come across this in their future.(3)
1: Introduce
2: Insert
3: Interpret
The 1, 2, and 3 above are side notes to explain where you see a 1 in my example I am introducing. Where you see a 2 in my example I am Inserting and where you see a 3 in my example I am interpreting. Goal D. Students will be able to interpret and compose in a variety of media and print/ non-print genres.
This fourth goal means that students will be able to read and write through different medias and styles of writing. For this goal I had to use the C.R.A.P principles, which are contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity. I used these principles throughout all of my projects that we have completed.They are little changes that you add to your work to make it more effective. For example:
In my brochure, I used contrast by using the same four colors, pink, gray, black, and red.
In my letter, I used repetition by repeating the would my child over and over.
Also, in my letter, I used alignment by making sure the text and the titles were lined up together.
In my satire, I used proximity by grouping all of the food together inside the body.
The CRAP principles are used to improve your work and make your work look more attractive. They are not hard to think about and they really do make your work look better and more striking to read and look at. Before taking this course I was not educated on the C.R.A.P principles and my work looked boring but once I learned the C.R.A.P principle my worked went from boring to exciting. Goal E. Students will be able to discuss and apply appropriate writing processes both individually and in collaborative contexts.
This fifth goal means that students will be able to take strategies that they learned and make them better by others helping them improve their work. After completing a reading we would reflect on what they mean with our classmates. We did this by getting in groups and creating posters. Once the posters were done the whole class would come together and we would discuss what the information on the posters meant. Also after we completed a project we would get in groups as well and help each other improve our ideas into something better.
Peer review was a very helpful activity done with our classmates. It was not meant for you to criticize others work it was meant to help others think about better ways to go about an idea they created. Once everyone was done sharing their work you were able to fill the peer review sheet out, which allowed you to reflect back on what you did. I found this to be very helpful and it taught me a lot of writing techniques.
Another form of revision that we completed after creating a project was called a revision sheet. The revision sheet was very helpful because it made you realize what mistakes you made. On the revision sheet we included our mistake, then the corrected way, and then a hint to our self so we would remember the correct way next time we do a project. This sheet was a great way to go back and look at the mistakes you made so you would not make the same mistakes again. The best part of these sheet were that we could put whatever mistake we wanted on them because they were meant to help yourself and everyone's mistake differed from one another. Example:
Goal A. Students will be able to compose for particular audiences and purposes.
This first goal means that students will approach specific audiences and purposes. For this goal, I collected information from my first project but my examples that I will use here are from my second project. In the second project I took the information and turned it into a brochure and into a letter from a parent to the teacher. In my brochure and in my letter I included information that would benefit to parents and to the teacher. For these projects, I said why it is important to keep children with food allergies safe, how parents can help the teacher, and ways to keep the classroom clean from germs.
I used this approach because it shows the audience that there is a lot of information that people should be informed about in order to keep a child safe. Many people know about food allergies but they do not know how to protect someone who has them. My brochure shows what someone can do if a student were to react to a food allergy in the classroom.
I used this approach because it is a formal way a parent can deliver information to their child’s teacher. This letter states the parent's concern for their child and how important the situation is. Throughout this letter, the parent includes the things that affect the child; the parent gives ideas to the teacher and offers ideas for the teacher in order to keep the parent’s child safe.
I transformed these two projects into information for an audience to be well educated on an important topic that can occur in any classroom.
Goal B. Students will be able to compose using language and conventions appropriate to genre.
This second goal means that students will write and create a form of writing by knowing what is appropriate to genre. For this goal, I am going to use information from my first project. During this project I researched information on the concerns of food allergies and how to deal with them in the classroom. I conducted interviews from Bloomsburg University students majoring in early childhood education. For example, I asked two questions and they answered my questions.
- How will you make your classroom in the future safe?
- Person number one said, “By establishing rules and implementing my classroom management strategies from the first day of school.”
- Person number two said, “I will make sure everything that is dangerous in my classroom is out of reach and, that it is child proof depending on what grade level I will teach.”
- If a child has a food allergy in your classroom how would you keep them safe?
- Person number one said, “I would send a note home to all parents stating that there is a child with an allergy in the classroom, and to please not send snacks into the room unless it is safe for everyone. I would list safe foods that they can be sent in with their child.”
- Person number two said, “If a child has a food allergy I would find out how severe it is and if it is severe I’d ask the children in the class not to bring in certain food.
The interviews that I conducted were appropriate for this genre because they help the reader connect to the questions and they specify what future teachers can do if they encounter a child with food allergies in their classroom and how they can keep their classroom safe. Also these interviews show that other people are thinking about food allergy concerns. I really liked conducting the interviews because it taught me that Bloomsburg University students are well prepared and educated on this topic. In there futures they are ready to face this concern and keep the children safe if it happens in their classroom.Goal C. Students will be able to read, select, and use evidence critically to formulate and support arguments.
This third goal means that students will be able to use other work to support and impact their work. For this goal I am going to use information from my first project like I did above in goal B. From my first project I used the three INs, introduce, insert, and interpret. Also I had to find outside research to support my concern on food allergies. I used website research from what other people said. For example, I found:
- When children share things it is thoughtful but sometimes can affect a student if they have a food allergy. For this reason policies focus on preventing children from consuming or being exposed to food that may trigger allergic reactions often include banning certain foods from the school, a “no sharing” component, or an “exclusion” component (Behrmann, 2010).
- Cross-contamination occurs when food that does not contain any allergens is exposed to an allergen during food preparation, such as through unwashed cutting boards or knives (Thelen, Cameron, 2012)
I used this research in my first project to back up my concerns. The research showed that food allergies are a concern and there are ways to help protect the students who are affected.Also, like I said above I used the three INs, introduce, insert, and interpret in my first project. I used them because they show how yo get your information across to the reader by introducing an idea, then inserting that idea, and lastly interpreting that idea. I used the three Ins when I conducted my interviews. For example:
- I interviewed two people that are attending Bloomsburg University with a future degree in early childhood education. (1) These interviews are focused on future classrooms and how they would go about the problem. The first question I asked them was: How will you make your classroom in the future safe? Person number one said, “By establishing rules and implementing my classroom management strategies from the first day of school.”(2) Person number two said, “I will make sure everything that is dangerous in my classroom is out of reach and, that it is child proof depending on what grade level I will teach.” The second question I asked them was: If a child has a food allergy in your classroom how would you keep them safe? Person number one said, “I would send a note home to all parents stating that there is a child with an allergy in the classroom, and to please not send snacks into the room unless it is safe for everyone. I would list safe foods that they can be sent in with their child.” (2 )Person number two said, “If a child has a food allergy I would find out how severe it is and if it is severe I’d ask the children in the class not to bring in certain food. These interviews specify what future teachers plan to do if they encounter a child with food allergies in their classroom and how they will keep their classroom safe. Their responses suggest that they are prepared and know what to do if they come across this in their future.(3)
1: Introduce2: Insert
3: Interpret
The 1, 2, and 3 above are side notes to explain where you see a 1 in my example I am introducing. Where you see a 2 in my example I am Inserting and where you see a 3 in my example I am interpreting.
Goal D. Students will be able to interpret and compose in a variety of media and print/ non-print genres.
This fourth goal means that students will be able to read and write through different medias and styles of writing. For this goal I had to use the C.R.A.P principles, which are contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity. I used these principles throughout all of my projects that we have completed.They are little changes that you add to your work to make it more effective. For example:
- In my brochure, I used contrast by using the same four colors, pink, gray, black, and red.
- In my letter, I used repetition by repeating the would my child over and over.
- Also, in my letter, I used alignment by making sure the text and the titles were lined up together.
- In my satire, I used proximity by grouping all of the food together inside the body.
The CRAP principles are used to improve your work and make your work look more attractive. They are not hard to think about and they really do make your work look better and more striking to read and look at. Before taking this course I was not educated on the C.R.A.P principles and my work looked boring but once I learned the C.R.A.P principle my worked went from boring to exciting.Goal E. Students will be able to discuss and apply appropriate writing processes both individually and in collaborative contexts.
This fifth goal means that students will be able to take strategies that they learned and make them better by others helping them improve their work. After completing a reading we would reflect on what they mean with our classmates. We did this by getting in groups and creating posters. Once the posters were done the whole class would come together and we would discuss what the information on the posters meant. Also after we completed a project we would get in groups as well and help each other improve our ideas into something better.
Peer review was a very helpful activity done with our classmates. It was not meant for you to criticize others work it was meant to help others think about better ways to go about an idea they created. Once everyone was done sharing their work you were able to fill the peer review sheet out, which allowed you to reflect back on what you did. I found this to be very helpful and it taught me a lot of writing techniques.
Another form of revision that we completed after creating a project was called a revision sheet. The revision sheet was very helpful because it made you realize what mistakes you made. On the revision sheet we included our mistake, then the corrected way, and then a hint to our self so we would remember the correct way next time we do a project. This sheet was a great way to go back and look at the mistakes you made so you would not make the same mistakes again. The best part of these sheet were that we could put whatever mistake we wanted on them because they were meant to help yourself and everyone's mistake differed from one another. Example: